Chapter 115: Leaving the Virtual World
Seeing Franklin lost in thought, Bulma was completely speechless. "Don't tell me there really are others?"
Franklin slowly came back to his senses and smiled wryly. "There really are. It's possible we'll meet them in the future—but for now, I've only met the two of you."
Lala's eyes sparkled even more brightly, and a new idea lit up in her mind.
"Lin, I've just decided what direction I want to pursue next! If I can open pathways between parallel worlds, wouldn't the other versions of me be doing the same thing? If I gathered all the other mes together, couldn't we develop even stronger and more advanced technology?"
The next instant, Franklin gave her a light chop to the forehead. Seeing her clutch her head and pout in pain, Franklin spoke seriously, "I know you could probably do it, but that would bring us a lot of unnecessary trouble. Let's put that idea aside for now. When our strength increases—at least when we're stronger than your father and have the power to protect ourselves—then we can think about it."
Though reluctant, Lala nodded obediently when she saw the stern look on his face.
Bulma helped rub Lala's head and glared at Franklin. "You're already hitting your wife? At this rate you'll be lawless in no time! Talk it out—no hitting. Next time, I'll hit you instead."
Franklin sighed helplessly. "Alright, alright. I'll be careful."
While they were talking, Mith had already comforted Asuna. The two of them approached Franklin and the others. Bulma, still annoyed, took Lala's hand and moved to stand beside Franklin.
"Let's keep moving. Asuna's managed to overcome her fear for now. I think she'll do better from here on."
As they spoke, Mith led Asuna over to Lala. "Thank you, Miss Lala. What you did just now was exactly right. Only by killing monsters can we stop being afraid of them next time."
Asuna also took a step forward and bowed slightly to Lala. "Thank you, Miss Lala. If it weren't for you, I might really have died."
Being thanked made Lala's eyes light up instantly.
"See? I told you! Facing your fear works! If you keep at it, Asuna, I'm sure you'll become a strong player in this game."
Franklin stepped in at the right time. "Lala's right. We have to survive in this game, no matter what. There'll be all kinds of monsters later on—think of this as training."
Mith nodded in agreement. The five of them continued onward. Along the way, Asuna took the lead while the others supported from behind. By the time they reached the next town, Asuna had completely conquered her fear of facing monsters.
As night fell, and the in-game clock showed midnight, Mith led everyone into a small inn. She booked a double room for herself and Asuna, then looked to Franklin's group.
"What about you three? A triple room? Or one single and one double?"
Franklin waved his hand. "Let's just check out your room first. We'll log off from there."
Mith rubbed her forehead, clearly exasperated. She didn't bother arguing and granted them entry permissions. The five entered together.
At Mith's expectant look, Franklin nodded toward Bulma and Lala.
"You two log off first. I'll talk with them for a bit, then I'll follow."
Bulma didn't hesitate. She opened her system menu, found the logout button, and pressed it. Her body dissolved into particles of light and vanished.
"Miss Mith, Miss Asuna, it's been great getting to know you. But it's already morning in our world—Franklin and I have school, so we'll log off for now. After class, if we have time, we'll come back online."
As soon as Lala finished speaking, she too dissolved into particles of light and disappeared.
Seeing this, Mith and Asuna were completely stunned. "They really logged out!"
Both opened their own system menus—but the logout button was still grayed out. They turned burning gazes toward Franklin.
"You can log out! Does that mean you can help us leave the game too?"
Dragged and shaken by the two desperate girls, Franklin could only sigh helplessly. "I already told you—we're not from the same world. Even how we entered the game is different. You didn't believe me before, but now you do, huh? If I hadn't worried it would stress you out so badly you couldn't sleep, I'd have explained it earlier."
Remembering what they'd learned from Lala and Franklin's later admission, both girls' faces dimmed.
Franklin was skilled at reading emotions. With a faint smile, he said, "Don't look so down. Think about it another way—your real lives were probably full of pressure, right? Treat this game as a vacation. In my world, my power can move mountains and fill seas—destroying a country would be easy. Meeting me is the greatest stroke of luck you could ever have. Most people could search a lifetime and never get this chance."
"With me protecting you, clearing the game is just the beginning. Once you return to reality and train a little, you could become real heroes—able to leap across rooftops and scale walls. Being trapped in the game? Think of it as a trial. When you get out, unimaginable opportunities will be waiting for you."
Hearing his words, hope flickered in the girls' eyes. They looked at each other, then back at him.
"Are you really as strong as you say?"
Franklin nodded seriously. "I'll only get stronger. By the time you're free of this game, I might not even be on Earth anymore—maybe I'll be traveling to other planets."
It sounded ridiculous, but they couldn't bring themselves not to believe him. Seeing their hopeful expressions, Franklin decided to end the conversation before it went further.
"Anyway, enough talk. I should log off too. Remember—get some rest and don't wander into the wild alone. Wait for us to come online before doing anything risky. If something happens, I might not be able to save you in time."
"Oh, right—if I remember correctly, the time difference between our worlds is about six hours. It's midnight here, so it should be around six in the morning over there. We get out of school at three in the afternoon, so we'll probably be back online then. See you soon."
Just as Franklin was about to log out, Asuna stopped him. "Wait! I have one last question."
Franklin paused, finger hovering over the button. He looked at her curiously. "Go ahead. If I can answer it, I will."
After a moment's hesitation, Asuna asked softly, "Can you… take us to your world someday?"
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